The Heart of A Human
by RavensFirefly
Summary: A battle against a demon on the night of the new moon leads to some very new, and difficult, changes. -Better summary to come as story progresses-
1. The New Moon

**AN:** I know I shouldn't be starting a new story, but the next chapter of _'Once the Dust Settles' _is being difficult... very difficult indeed. And, this idea has been with me for a long time now, so I just have to start it. Blame the evil plot bunnies!!

Plot Bunny: -hops up, looking cute and innocent-

Raven's Firefly: Awwww... look at the cute little--

Plot Bunny: -steals carrot and hops away snickering-

Raven's Firefly: -chases after plot bunny- Give me back my carrot!!

**AN:** Okay, sorry . Anyways... yes, evil plot bunnies won't leave me alone. Thus, this story is born. That's enough from me now, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer which applies to all chapters:** The anime/manga Inuyasha does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.

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"Go!!" Kagome yelled, releasing the arrow and letting it fly towards its target.

Said target, was a large, vine-covered demon that had, somehow, managed to get two jewel shards in its possession. As the arrow came near, several vines shot out and wrapped around limbs of nearby trees. Using the trees for its advantage, the demon pulled itself into the air as Kagome's arrow pierced through the air, close to the ground where it had been.

"It's fast!" The miko said in surprise, lowering her bow as she looked at the demon. Very few had ever managed to dodge her arrows... "This would be easier if Inuyasha was here." She said quietly, looking up into the sky for a moment.

"It can't be helped." Sango said, preparing to strike at the demon herself, "We have to keep this demon away from him." She finished, throwing hiraikotsu towards the demon.

It was the night of the new moon, so they couldn't count on Inuyasha right yet. Normally, it wouldn't take much to kill the demon, since it appeared to be rather weak. But getting close enough to remove the jewel shards first, was proving to be difficult. While most demons use the shards to increase their strength, this one had, apparently, used it to increase its speed. Which made it hard to make a direct hit.

The demon moved out of the boomerang's path, as easily as it had moved out of the way of the arrow. And, once hiraikotsu was out of its way, it turned to look towards the small group, "Shikon no Tama shards... give them to me!"

"Stay away from Kagome, you over-grown weed!" Shippou shouted, bravely running in front of Kagome, since it was the miko who was carrying the shards. "Take this! Tsubushi Goma!!" He continued, flinging his top towards the demon.

The vine-demon, however, wasn't impressed by the kitsune's act, and the toy top was simply knocked to the side before it even had a chance to hit. After all, his attacks were only illusions, and he was still considered to be a child...

Shippou blinked, then 'eeped', and scurried behind Miroku, "I-I'll let you guys handle this, Miroku."

Sango's eyes narrowed as she looked closely at the demon. If they couldn't hit it directly, they'd have to stop its movements. So, with that thought in mind, she dropped hiraikotsu and hopped onto Kirara's back, "Go, Kirara! Get above it."

Obediently, the fire-cat leapt into the air towards the vine-covered demon. She flew directly above the demon, but had to keep moving to avoid being stabbed through by one of its arm-like extensions.

"Just a little longer, Kirara." Sango said, trying to reassure her feline companion. As quickly as she could, the taijiya removed a couple of her poison-gas bombs and lifted her mask to cover her nose and mouth. "Kagome-chan, Houshi-sama, stand back!" She warned. And, once sure that they wouldn't be affected by the gas, she threw the bombs to the ground, both behind and in front of the demon.

As the gas was released, covering both the demon and the area immediately surrounding it, Sango smiled, satisfied, and patted the side of Kirara's neck, "Good girl, Kirara. Now, let's get out of he-- ere!"

Without warning, vines shot up from the smoke, and wrapped around Sango's arm and ankle, "You won't live after that stunt, exterminator!" The demon stated, pulling Sango and Kirara down towards it.

"Damn it..." Sango muttered, pushing herself off of Kirara so she wouldn't drag her down with her, "Kirara, go help Kagome-chan and Houshi-sama!"

The fire-cat made a small, growl-like noise, as though trying to decide if she wanted to leave her mistress or not.

"I'll be fine, but you have to help them protect Inuyasha!" Sango demanded, pulling against the restraints, seeing if she could break them on her own.

"Just _who_ needs protecting?"

Sango's head snapped to the side immediately, and she was met with the sight of a black haired, violet eyed human wearing a fire-rat coat, "Inuyasha? What are you doing?!" She asked, knowing full well that the sun wasn't going to rise for another few minutes.

Inuyasha snorted, turning his attention to the vine-demon, "Keh. I was going to ask you the same thing, Sango. It looks like _you_ need me to protect you, more than _I _need you to protect me."

The taijiya pursed her lips together, and frowned at the human-hanyou. Though, given her current position, saying something else wasn't going to get her very far. With an aggravated sigh, Sango flicked her wrist, releasing the blade concealed beneath her armor. As the blade exposed itself, it cut through the vine binding her wrist, and it didn't take long for her to free herself completely. Once free, she marched right up to Inuyasha, put her hands on his shoulders, and began pushing him back in the direction of the shack they had been staying in for the night, "You're going to get yourself killed if you're not careful! What if this demon had been a detachment of Naraku? Not all of his detachments are going to be as trusting as Kagura!"

"Trusting and Kagura in the same sentence?" He asked, raising an eyebrow as he planted his feet firmly on the ground, not allowing himself to be pushed back any further.

"You know what I mean!" She replied, irritated. Okay, so _trusting_ really wasn't the word she was looking for, but Kagura did know the night Inuyasha turned human, and she hadn't told Naraku when she had the chance... But, really, how could Inuyasha be so passive at such a critical time? Sure, the sun was going to rise in only a few minutes, but still... "We can't afford to make any--"

"Inuyasha! Sango-chan! Look out!!"

Sango turned suddenly at the sound of Kagome's fear-ridden voice. The demon had used the advantage of having Sango's back to it, to advance towards her and Inuyasha. Spinning around to face the demon, the taijiya made a move to draw her katana, hoping to fight it off while Inuyasha could get out of the way. Before she could, however, the demon was in front of the two, and before she knew what was happening, Sango found herself being shoved violently to the side by Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha!!" Kagome yelled, seeing the human-hanyou's actions had put him immediate danger. She didn't want to see Sango hurt, but she knew that Inuyasha was even more vulnerable than Sango was...

Sango cursed silently to herself and pushed herself up quickly, but it wasn't quick enough to help Inuyasha. She got to her feet and turned, just in time to see the demon come down on Inuyasha, swallowing him whole.

The taijiya stood, stunned, for a moment, before shaking it off and narrowing her eyes in a show of determination, "Kagome-chan!" She called, looking over to Kagome and Miroku, who looked about as shocked as she had been, "Kagome-chan, your arrow! Shoot the demon!"

Kagome shook her head, her eyes wide with shock and fear, "I-I can't! Not with Inuyasha--"

"If you want to save him, shoot the area between the two jewel shards!" Sango interrupted, jumping back slightly as she threw two more gas-bombs on the ground, hoping to disorientate the demon so Kagome would be able to hit it, "_Hurry_!"

The futuristic miko shakily readied an arrow, and slowly drew it back as far as the bow would allow, "Sango-chan, I don't think I--"

"_Do it_!!" Sango yelled, surprising herself along with her other companions. Now was not the time for being indecisive; every second counted, and they had to act quickly.

Kagome looked to the demon and closed her eyes for a few seconds, "Please hit!" And, as she opened her eyes again, she released the arrow.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the arrow pierced through the air; becoming engulfed in a pinkish purple light as it neared the demon. And, remarkably enough, and just as they had all hoped, the arrow hit the area between the two jewel shards the demon had. As it hit, the two shards were forced out of the demons body. Once the shards were expelled, the demon hissed and gurgled before dissolving into nothing, leaving nothing behind.

Nothing, except for a human-shaped, goo-covered glob on the ground where it once stood.

Almost immediately, Sango ran forward, dropping to her knees next to the mess as she began to try and wipe away some of the strange substance, hoping to find Inuyasha alive. Behind her, she could hear Kagome's struggles against Miroku, as the monk restrained her; keeping her back in case the worst had happened. But, that didn't concern the taijiya. She was more concerned with seeing if Inuyasha was okay...

Luckily, though, she didn't have to wait much longer because the oddly shaped lump began moving, then coughing slightly.

"Inuyasha?" Sango asked hopefully, moving back slightly as Inuyasha, still covered in the slime-like substance struggled to stand up.

"One word of this to anyone... and I'll rip your throats out." Inuyasha muttered, coughing again, before slowly trudging his way towards the nearby river, "I have to wash this shit off..."

Once he was gone, the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness..." Kagome sighed, smiling slightly. Glad knowing that Inuyasha would be fine, she turned her attention to Sango. "Sango-chan, are you okay?" She asked, walking over to her friend.

Sango nodded slowly, "Hai... I'm fine, Kagome-chan." She replied, brushing some of the strange substance off of her hands. Once Inuyasha was done at the river, she'd have to go there herself.

"Good!" Kagome said cheerfully. Then, almost hesitantly, she added, "Ano... and, thank you for telling me what to do. I just panicked when I saw that thing eat Inuyasha."

The taijiya smiled slightly, looking at the miko, "No problem. We all get that way sometimes, especially if something happens to someone we care about. You don't have to worry about it."

Kagome nodded and smiled as well. But, before she had time to respond, a yell that sounded, surprisingly enough, like it came from Inuyasha cut through the air. Both girls quickly turned and looked anxiously towards the river.

"Wait here, it might be dangerous." Miroku said to the others, before getting up and hurrying towards the river.

Shippou jumped up into Kagome's arms and nuzzled against her, looking worriedly after the monk, "Kagome, it's after sunrise now, do you think Inuyasha really might be in trouble?"

Kagome shook her head slowly, hugging the kitsune close as she tried to sooth both his and her own fear away, "I don't know, Shippou-chan... Inuyasha's not caught off guard easily..."

Only a moment later, Miroku stumbled back into the camping area; his face slightly paled.

"Miroku-sama, what happened? Is Inuyasha okay?" Kagome asked worriedly, glancing to Miroku before looking towards the river again. Seeing Miroku look like that was rare...

Miroku managed to nod, though he was still visible shaken, "Inuyasha's fine, but he-- he's still... he..."

Fortunately, before they wasted half of the morning waiting for Miroku to finally tell what was wrong, Inuyasha returned himself; his body tense, his hands flexing and un-flexing at his sides. And, he looked like he was either about to kill someone, or break down and cry; a very strange expression to see on his face.

"He's..." Miroku once again failed to say what he wanted to, though by now everyone had figured it out...

"...Human." Sango said, finishing Miroku's statement, her eyes wide with surprise.

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**AN:** Okay, be honest now. How many saw coming? Huh? Huh? Okay, the title have given it away a little, but not really. Oh well. Here's hoping that this story turns out nice!

Oh! And, for those curious few, the monster of the chapter was supposed to be similar to the hair-monster that we saw in episodes 83 and 84. Only... this one was made up of vines, and not hair. But, as in size and all that, it was designed after that one n.n


	2. Morning and Still Human?

**SangoXKirara:** Yes, the bunnies are evil! Unfortunately... _Once the Dust Settles_ still doesn't want to be worked with...

**climatey1709:** Sorry, but I had to leave it off there n.n Glad you're enjoying the story though!

**Kikyo-the-Walnut:** Kaede? o.O That's a new one... Anyways, hope you like this chapter too.

**purplepeopleeater:** Aw... thank you so much :) I try to be unique with my ideas, so I'm glad you think they're creative n.n I hadn't planned on anything happening to Sango, but who knows?

**MeLaiya:** Hope this update came soon enough for you n.n Glad you like the story so far!

**To everyone else:** Thanks for all the comments. As always, its great to know that you're enjoying the story.

**AN:** Sadly, _Once the Dust Settles_, is still giving me trouble (I've got about one sentence written of the new chapter). But, there's a snow storm blowing in, so maybe it'll give me some inspiration! I hope... Anyways, onto the story!

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Sango returned from her own trip to the river not long after Inuyasha had returned. She looked around at the faces of Kagome, Miroku, and Shippou, before sighing and looking towards the shack, "So he's still in there?"

Kagome nodded, before leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands, "Hai... It doesn't look like he plans on coming out either..."

"Well, despite what he may think, Inuyasha is not going to be able to stay in there all day." Miroku said, glancing towards the shack for a moment, "If Inuyasha really is stuck as a human, we should try to figure out why, and how to get him back to normal."

Shippou nodded, then made his way over to the shack and peeked inside, "You hear that Inuyasha? You need to come out here so we can figure out what's wrong with you."

"There's nothing _wrong_ with me! And I'm not coming out!!" Was the human-hanyou's reply.

The kitsune sighed, and walked back over to Kagome, "It's hopeless... No one can get him to come out."

"Inuyasha, just how long to you plan on staying in there?" Sango asked, crossing her arms, and looking towards the shack.

It was quiet for a moment, before Inuyasha finally replied, "Until you guys can figure out what the hell happened to me!"

With a heavy sigh, the taijiya looked over to Kagome, "Kagome-chan, could you try talking some sense into him?"

Kagome nodded slowly and stood up, turning to face the shack as the others had all done, "Inuyasha, could you please come out here?" She asked in a sweet voice, as she clasped her hands in front of her, "We've all seen you in human form before, so I don't know why you're so scared to come out here."

"I'm _not _scared, you idiot!" Inuyasha shouted, obviously offended by the 'scared' comment, "Just shut up and leave me alone already!"

Kagome frowned and reached up to rub a hand over her eyes. Maybe that last comment had taken it a little far... especially considering Inuyasha's pride... "Inuyasha, I didn't mean anything by that. But, can't you come out here? We can't figure out what happened to you if you stay in there."

"I'm not coming out! So just leave me alone!" The human-hanyou replied angrily. It seemed, the more they talked about it, the angrier he got... Of course, he hated being human for one night, now he was human during the day too? What happened..?

"Inuyasha!" Kagome began yet again.

But, before she could get much further, Inuyasha interrupted, "I said no!!"

"Osuwari!" The miko shouted, finally having enough with arguing with Inuyasha.

Inuyasha made a startled sound, which was followed shortly by a crashing sound as he hit the floor. A long string of curses followed suit, and a moment later, he stuck his head outside, "What'd I do?!"

Kagome crossed her arms and sat back down, "You wouldn't listen to reason, Inuyasha." She paused for a moment, then added, "And... I wasn't sure if it'd work when you're human."

"So you were just testing it?!" Inuyasha asked, growling pretty impressively considering he was still human.

"It got you outside though." She replied, smiling.

He huffed and stood up, before crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at his companions, "Well congratulations! Now what do you plan on doing?"

Kagome blinked, "Ah... well..." She trailed off and looked over to Miroku, then Sango, hoping they could give an answer to that one.

"We should consult someone who knows a lot about demons first." Miroku suggested, noticing Kagome's look, "Since this only happened after you came in contact with that demon, it's possible that the solution lies in there."

Inuyasha snorted, seemingly unimpressed by what the monk had said, then looked to Sango, "What about you, Sango? You're supposed to know a lot about demons. Any ideas?" He paused, and blinked, then narrowed his eyes slightly; looking the taijiya over a couple times, "Wait... you got that weird stuff on you, didn't you? Why didn't anything happen to _you_?"

Sango blinked, and looked at her hands for a moment, "Ano... It only got on my hands, but nothing's happened to me." She looked up to Inuyasha again, shrugging slightly in the process, "Maybe it only affected you, since you're part demon. Since it was still on you after the run rose, it might've somehow sealed your demon blood. At least, that's the only thing I could think of. As for any ideas as to what to do... I'm afraid I can't help much there. I've never heard of anything like this before."

"Figures..." He mumbled, closing his eyes, "So if it just sealed my demon blood, why didn't it just wear off once it got washed off? I mean-- jeez! That damned demon wasn't even that strong, why isn't this crap wearing off, Sango?!"

"Why do you keep asking me?" The taijiya replied, "I told you I never heard of a situation like this before. So, why would I know why it's not just wearing off? For all we know, it might _not_ wear off."

Inuyasha's eyes shot open, and he looked at Sango, as he shook his head, "Don't even say that! This _will_ wear off! It _has_ to wear off!"

She sighed, and crossed her arms, "I want it to wear off too, Inuyasha. But, we have to think about every possibility. We know next to nothing about this demon, and why that stuff affected you like it did."

He moved closer to her, his violet eyes narrowing, "This shit will wear off, Sango. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it!"

Kagome squeezed herself between the two before anymore arguing could be done, "Inuyasha, I don't think Sango-chan really believes this won't wear off, but we can't just forget about that possibility." She said, holding her arms out to put some space between the two warriors, "If we want to learn more about this, maybe we could talk to Kaede-obachan. She might know something we can do so your demonic powers will return."

Inuyasha looked at Sango a moment more, before snorting and turning around, "We can't go all the way back there! It'll take at least two days to get there from where we are now. There's no telling if we'll be attacked, and Tessaiga's useless when I'm human, so I can't even protect you guys!"

"I assure you, Inuyasha, that we will be fine, should a demon choose to attack." Miroku said, standing up and moving closer to the group, "But perhaps you should consider staying close to us until we can figure out what, exactly, happened to you."

Inuyasha glanced back to the others, before looking away again, "Keh! Well, it's not like I have any other way to defend myself. I can't use Tessaiga while I'm like this."

"Oh... you can't, can you.." Kagome said, suddenly realizing that it was true. She bit her lower lip, and looked down for a moment. He had to have _some_ kind of weapon... they couldn't just leave him defenseless, even if they were going to be there... it would be best for him to have a way to defend himself too.

Sango looked around at everyone, before sighing and stepping up beside Inuyasha, "Here, take this." She said, removing her katana and its sheath from where it hung at her waist, and holding it out for him.

The human-hanyou blinked, looking at Sango, "Huh?" He then glanced to the offered weapon, and looked away again, "There's no way I'm using that."

"And why not?" The taijiya questioned, still holding the sword out to him, "What's wrong with it?"

"There's nothing wrong with it." He replied, "I just won't use anything other than Tessaiga."

"You won't, or you can't?" She asked, lowering her arm, though she still held the sword.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." He mumbled, sending a glare at the taijiya beside him.

She sighed once again, then stepped in front of him, "Look, Inuyasha, this is going to be a tough time on all of us. And we're not going to be able to be there for you every second of the day. You're going to need a way to defend yourself, and since you can't use Tessaiga, this is the next best thing." She then thrust the weapon forward, into Inuyasha's hands, "So just take it."

He began to protest again, then thought better of it, and quietly placed Sango's sword so it rested next to Tessaiga at his waist, "If it'll get you off my back, I'll take the damn sword. But that doesn't mean I'm going to use it!"

Sango shook her head slightly, "If you say so." He really was quite difficult at times... But, she supposed, if he were any other way, he wouldn't be Inuyasha.

"Are you going to be okay without it, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, giving the taijiya a somewhat worried glance.

Sango nodded and smiled slightly, "Hai, Kagome-chan. I've still got hiraikotsu, after all."

The miko smiled, reassured, "I guess that's right. So, now that that's all sorted out, should we go ahead and start back towards Kaede-obachan's?"

"If we hope to get there without running into trouble, now probably would be the best time to leave." Miroku stated, nodding slightly at Kagome's question, "That is, if you're ready, Inuyasha."

"Keh!" Inuyasha spat, crossing his arms, "Might as well get going. I want to find out what's wrong so I can get back to normal."

"You don't have to worry." Shippou piped in, jumping up on Inuyasha's shoulder, "Since I'm the strongest person here now, I'll make sure nothing gets to you."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, brushing the kitsune off his shoulder, "If I have to rely on you, I might as well let the demons have me now!"

"Hey, you shouldn't be mean to me! I'm the only demon here now, so you're going to have to depend on my powers to protect you!" Shippou said, pointing at Inuyasha. As far as the young kit was concerned, since Inuyasha no longer had his demonic powers, it was his duty to protect the others as well as Inuyasha.

"Like I said, I might as well let the demons have me!" Inuyasha replied, wrinkling his nose and looking away. If there was one thing he hated more than anything else, it was having to depend on other people. Unfortunately, it didn't look like he had much of a choice in this matter...

Shippou huffed, his little paws balling into fists as he turned to look at Kagome, "Kagome, make him listen to me!"

Kagome sighed, but couldn't help but smile at the kit's actions, "Inuyasha, Shippou-chan is just trying to help you. Can you please try not to pick on him so much?"

The human-hanyou merely 'keh-ed', and began walking away, "Come on already, before I leave you guys behind!"

Kagome sighed, before looking back to Sango and Miroku, "Well, we should hurry up before he gets too far ahead." With that, she followed after Inuyasha.

Sango shook her head and frowned slightly, "He's going to end up getting himself killed if he's not careful..."

"I suppose there's nothing we can do about it, though. Inuyasha will be Inuyasha." Miroku added, glancing to Sango, before walking after the other two ahead of him.

The taijiya only frowned more, _'That's what I'm worried about...' _She thought, glancing over to Kirara, "Let's go, Kirara." Then, she crossed her arms and headed after her companions.

It was well known that Inuyasha could be quite... stubborn when he wanted to be. And, if he didn't start depending on them a little more, especially now, he was going to get himself killed. That very thought made Sango's eyes narrow in a show of determination. She had seen enough people close to her die; she wasn't about to let Inuyasha fall to the same fate. Kagome, Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara were her closest friends; there was _no way _she would let anything happen to any of them.

"Sango-chan, hurry up!"

Sango looked up suddenly, blinking as she was brought out of her thoughts to see that she had fallen even further behind the others.

"I don't want to be stuck like this forever, so move it!" Inuyasha added, smirking as he looked back to the slayer as well.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She replied, jogging to catch up to the others. Yes, Inuyasha was a friend, though there were times she wondered just how she managed to travel with him, given his attitude...

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**AN:** Well, there it is, chapter two. Hope you enjoyed it!


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